Clinical Close-ups

Hearty Device—Dr. Simon Maybaum has positioned Montefiore as one of the first institutions in the United States to participate in a clinical trial to determine the safety and efficacy of an implantable electrical stimulation device designed to improve heart function in patients with heart failure. As an investigator involved with the INOVATE-HF Study, he will evaluate the device’s ability to reduce hospitalization and death among patients with congestive heart failure, while also exploring whether combined treatment with the implantable device and prescription drug therapy is more effective than drug therapy alone. Dr. Maybaum is associate professor of clinical medicine.

New Lab—Einstein officially opened its new Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory during a special ribbon-cutting ceremony last month. The facility, made possible in part by a $1 million capital grant that New York State Senator Jeff Klein secured, features state-of-the-art equipment including advanced electroencephalogram systems, stimulus delivery equipment and specialized video recording devices. The mission of the lab is to understand how the brain function of individuals with disorders such as autism, attention deficit disorder and childhood schizophrenia differs from that of their typically developing peers.

Cream of the Crop — On December 7, 2011, the Leapfrog Group — a coalition of public and private purchasers of employee health coverage dedicated to improving healthcare safety, quality and affordability — recognized Montefiore Medical Center as one of the nation's 2011 Top Hospitals. Montefiore was one of only two hospitals named from New York State out of the 65 hospitals chosen from the nearly 1,200 nationwide that participated in the annual survey.

Royal Recognition — In the name of the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn recently awarded former Einstein child neurology fellow Dr. Pongsakdi Visudhiphan the king’s award for outstanding dedication and contributions to Thailand — the highest honor bestowed on a select few outstanding doctors and teachers each year. Dr. Visudhiphan is considered the “father of child neurology” in Thailand; he was recognized for introducing the field of child neurology in his homeland, as part of a brilliant career spanning more than 40 years. After completing his training at Einstein in 1970, he founded the division of child neurology in pediatrics at Mahidol University Medical School and Ramathibodi Hospital, in Bangkok. Thanks to his leadership, the first child neurology clinical and teaching service was established in Thailand, with meetings, conferences, and joint child neurology, child neurosurgery and neuroradiology care and training services based on those he’d taken part in at Jacobi Hospital during his training. He insisted that all Thai pediatric residents rotate through his service at Ramathibodi Hospital until formal programs could be established at other medical schools and teaching hospitals. As a physician-scientist, he served as a role model and mentor to countless students and colleagues. Several other Thai doctors have followed in Dr. Visudhiphan’s footsteps, receiving their training in child neurology at Einstein. These include Dr. Surang Chiemchanya and Dr. Oranee Sanmaneechai.